The Sorting of Sirius Black
by Khgirl08
Summary: A prize for L1V1D on Deviant Art, who asked for the Marauders' Sortings (or Sirius's at least). I gave her his Sorting and some friendfluff afterwards. I do so adore the Marauders.


"Benson, Mariah!"

Sirius felt his heart rate increase as a girl with thick glasses clambered onto the Sorting stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat ever so gently on her head, and Sirius's stomach dropped as it fell over her eyes. There couldn't be many names between "Benson" and "Black" to be called, which meant that he would soon be on the lamb.

"Whaddya think for her, Black, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?" James Potter whispered into his ear. "She's not cool enough for Gryffindor but not evil or ugly enough for Slytherin...though the ugly part isn't too far off..."

Sirius didn't answer. The Sorting Hat was taking a right long time deciding on this girl, and the wait wasn't helping his nerves at all. He couldn't seem to take a deep breath without feeling a knife through one of his lungs, and the Every-Flavor Beans he and Potter had shared on the train threatened to make a return appearance with every second that ticked by.

The Sorting Ceremony would go by much more quickly when his turn came up, surely. After all, he was a Black, and all Blacks were sent to Slytherin the moment the Sorting Hat made contact with their smooth hair. Even Andromeda, who was as strange as a Black family member could be, had known within a second of sitting down where her Hogwarts home would be. Sirius's Sorting couldn't be different than everyone else in his family.

And yet, he couldn't help but feel a bit wary of the whole thing. He, like Andromeda, was a bit different from the typical Black, and it made him a bit worried about whether or not the Sorting Hat would see fit to place him with his family. If it did, he would lose his budding friendship with James, and if he didn't, his mother was liable to burn him off the family tree. Sirius wasn't able to decide which would be worse.

"Hufflepuff!" shouted the hat at long last. Mariah took the hat off and handed it gently back to Professor McGonagall before practically skipping over to the applauding table. Sirius glanced after her to see a boy with a similar face and identical glasses hugging her as she slid onto the bench. She was the first Hufflepuff first year, but apparently not the first Hufflepuff Benson.

"Billows, Wyatt!" To Sirius's surprise and annoyance, there was indeed another person between him and the Sorting Hat. A boy with long limbs stumbled his way up to the platform, as if he hadn't quite gained control over his feet. James laughed, but Sirius didn't; even if he had been in a laughing mood, he still tripped over his feet a lot, too.

If he was Sorted into Slytherin, would anyone hug him? Dromeda might, but she'd likely just pat him on the back and go back to her business. Cissy and Bella would just turn up their noses and toss their hair before returning to their gossip circles. No one would really care, probably. He'd just be another Black, following the countless other examples before him.

But was he just another Black? Could he ever be just another Black?

"Slytherin!" Billows swallowed nervously and handed the hat back to the professor before tripping his way to the far-right of the Great Hall. James wasn't the only one to laugh as he finally fell flat on his face, jumping up and practically falling again as he sat down next to Aimee Adderson.

"Black, Sirius!" Sirius's blood ran cold. He could hear it pumping in his ears. James gave him a little shove, and he started through the crowd of other first-years, none of whom were as tall as him. Snivellus from the train glowered at him as he passed by, and Sirius attempted to sneer back. From Snivellus's expression, he failed miserably.

_This is only going to take a second, and you'll be joining Billows and Adderson at the Slytherin table_, he thought as he sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall dropped the hat onto his head, and the brim came down just enough to cover his eyes. _Come on, just put me into Slytherin already._

"But is Slytherin really where you belong, m'boy?" crooned a voice in his ear. He felt himself flinch and heard some giggles from the audience. "I daresay you don't show as much ambition as some of your relatives, nor do you have the typical Black demeanor."

_Neither does Andromeda, and she's in Slytherin._

"Indeed. I did eventually decide to put her there. Oho, were you under the impression that your cousin was Sorted easily? Nonsense. She and I chatted for a good two minutes before we decided on Slytherin. She would have made a good Hufflepuff."

_Are you saying I'm-_

"You wouldn't be bad there yourself, of course. Loyal nearly to a fault, you are, and hard-working when you need to be. But you lack humility. No, more than loyal are you brash, and bold, and brave. You seem the type to stand up for what you think is right, regardless of what your family and friends might think. And you have a certain penchant for mischief that has come to be associated with Gryffindor."

_Gryffindor!_ Sirius nearly shouted aloud. _I can't be in Gryffindor! My family would kill me!_

"But do you really want to be in Slytherin? Do you really want to be just another Black?" The Sorting Hat snorted into his ear. "That's what I thought. Well, Sirius Black, this can only mean one thing. You're in GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius flinched again as the Hat shouted his new house aloud. The table on the far end cheered loudly, but his eyes sought out his cousins as he removed the hat. Cissy and Bella were infuriated, staring at him with their mouths agape and their eyes full of flame. Dromeda, on the other hand, was smiling brightly. She seemed proud of him, strangely enough.

Sirius felt a smile grow on his own face as he handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall and strutted toward the Gryffindor table. He caught James's eyes as he sat down, and they exchanged thumbs ups. A couple of the older kids ruffled his hair, and he pushed them off with a grin and turned to watch "Bones, Amelia" be Sorted.

Six other first years joined Sirius at the table that evening. James was indeed Sorted into his house of choice, as were a pale boy with a bright pink scar on his cheek named Remus Lupin and a plump lad named Peter Pettigrew. The red-haired girl from the train, Lily Evans, was the first girl to be Sorted into Gryffindor, and she was joined by a short blond named Mary MacDonald and a very thin girl called Emmeline Vance. Lily wasted no time in ignoring Sirius and James, and after a quiet discussion at the start of dinner, the other two girls also pretended they didn't exist. Sirius didn't mind, as he and James were already planning ways to prank the girls the following morning.

Remus and Peter said very little until the main course was replaced by dessert and James mentioned pouring a bit of boil solution into the girls' pumpkin juice at breakfast. With a soft chuckle, Remus leaned across the table. "That's not a good idea."

"What would you know about it?" asked James stiffly. "You don't exactly look like the type who pulls a lot of pranks."

"Yeah," added Sirius, "you seem more like the type who should be watching his back."

"Maybe I don't prank people often, but I do know that boil solutions tend to work mostly on initial contact. If it's drunk, most of the boils will erupt in the mouth and throat of the victims." Remus shrugged. "It wouldn't really be as funny as it would be hazardous to their health. If you got it on their wand handles, on the other hand..."

"They'd get a new boil every time they tried to use them!" Sirius said gleefully.

"I like you, Lupin," said James. Sirius nodded and grinned.

"But do any of you happen to have a boil solution?" Peter asked softly. All three boys turned to look at him before looking at one another and shaking their heads. "I didn't think so. Luckily, I snuck some from my neighbor's pantry while I was packing. You never know when you're going to need something like that, you know?"

"Seriously, Pettigrew?" James asked incredulously. When Peter grinned, James, Sirius, and Remus all smiled back. "I think we're going to be great friends, guys. We're gonna be like...like...Musketeers of Hogwarts!"

"But there's four of us," said Lupin thoughtfully. "It would work better if there were only three...how about something like the Raiders?"

"Eh, I dunno..." said Sirius. A sudden thought clicked into place. "That sounds a bit chintzy to me. Why don't we combine them and become the Marauders?"

"Ooh, I like it!" squeaked Peter. Remus and James nodded, and Sirius lifted his goblet of water.

"A toast, then, to the Marauders of Hogwarts. May our legacy never be forgotten!"

"The Marauders!" echoed the other three, and they all drained their glasses. Sirius looked at his three new friends and decided that he was quite glad to be a Gryffindor.

After all, he was a Marauder now. And no other Black had ever been one of those.


End file.
